I'm going to embark on my first HTPC build, and invite anyone interested along for the ride. Feel free to give constructive input as I go, or to mock me for the ridiculous decisions I may make. I will try to include some detailed info and pictures for anyone who may be too intimidated to try this on their own and would like help. Hopefully it will be useful to someone out there.

EDIT: One goal of this thread is to help out those who would like to build their own HTPC, but just don't know how or don't feel confident enough to pull it off. So as I go, make choices, and mistakes, I will try to document it all for you. I didn't find anything like this out there for me to follow (nothing recent at least) and have had to do a lot of hunting and pecking. So for those of you who have gone before me, please feel free to interject if I'm going astray. And those who would like to follow me, I make no guarantees, but if it works for me it should work for you, right? :) Oh, and as a general rule, you'll probably want to ignore anything BlackCatt says!


The things I would like to accomplish with my HTPC include the following:
* Get rid of DirecTv (mostly to save money)
* Use an Over-The-Air (OTA) antenna to get the major networks in HD
* Record OTA programming, with two tuners
* Receive as much additional content online that I can find
* I would like to be able to view espn360.com (I haven't figured out if this will be possible with MythTv yet)
* Get to build something by hand, cause I like to do that
* Use Linux, cause it's cool, specifically Mythbuntu (because I use Ubuntu at work)
* Get a new Blu-ray player out of the deal

Today I'm going to list the parts I decided to go with. Soon I will update with pictures as the parts start to arrive at my door. Yesterday I got the case and power supply.

Case: Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129054) - $129.95
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008) - $39.99 after rebate
Motherboard: ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8300 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131354) - $89.99
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688) - $60.00
Memory: Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134117) - $38.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317) - $84.99
Tuner: SiliconDust HDHomeRun Network-based Dual Digital HDTV Tuner Ethernet Interface (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815327005) - $148.99
Blu-ray Drive: LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Internal 4X Blu-ray Reader Model iHOS104-06 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106325) - $59.99

Total Price: 652.89. Oops... I told the wife this would cost $400

Rationale for hardware choices:
Case: A friend of mine owns this case, and the day I told him I was considering building a HTPC, he made me promise to buy one of these. Since I haven't built a PC of any sort in about 10 years (what is SATA?), I knew I would be depending on his input for other components, so I humored him and got the case. Got it last night. Looks pretty cool. Kinda expensive, especially considering it didn't even come with it's own power supply. Several others that guys here use seem to have their own, so I can't tell you this is the way to go without having done my due diligence on this item. If you are looking for a place to cut down on total price, this is probably the place to slash.

Motherboard: After some research and googling, I came across this link of someones 5 best Linux HTPC motherboards (http://www.linuxtech.net/features/best_linux_htpc_motherboards.html), which sounded pretty relevant to me! This led me to the realization that some motherboards have HDMI outs build in. Sweet. So essentially I looked them all up on newegg and got the cheapest one :) Now what is neweggs policy on returns I wonder? I just ordered a graphics card so I could have an HDMI out the day before this discovery :( I later realized that the one I chose is capable of most of this VDPAU stuff that people are excited about with Myth version .22 that is soon to come out. My reciever has HDMI inputs, so I should be golden.

Tuner: I heard a lot of stuff about the Hauppauge brand. There are a lot of different types. I checked out the MythTv Wiki that shows which tuners are compatible. I was confused. Too many options and terms that I'm only now starting to understand. I now know that I need ATSC (for my antenna), but not much else. I saw the HDHomerun, and remembered hearing people talk about it during my previous searches. Did some research and found out that it's essentially an external tuner (doesn't take up a slot on the motherboard) that you connect to your network, and then any PC can use it. Pretty slick. I didn't think I really NEEDED that though, so I kept looking for a cheaper alternative. Then on the MythTv forum when asking for advice, someone told me the best piece of advice for them was to get the HDHomerun. Simple and it works, they said. That's what I'm looking for. Now this should allow me to put my antenna upstairs in my bedroom (hidden behind the bookshelf that holds my switch), connect it to my HDHomerun, which is plugged into the switch. The rest of my components will be downstairs in the closet under my staircase. Stay tuned (ugghhh) and I'll let you know.

Blu-ray Drive: It was the cheapest player I could find? I may eventually upgrade to one that can burn DVD's as well, but playback is fine for now. I thought I would really use the burn feature of the DVD-upconverter I bought a couple years back... I still have the test DVD where I tried "taping" some live shows the first day I bought it. That's about it.

Step 1 - The Antenna

I briefly mentioned the use of an antenna above. I'm going to need one of these since I will no longer have any sort of cable or satellite to bring me the signal. Lucky for us, the good channels (minus ESPN of course) are free if you know how to grab them out of the sky. That's where this step comes in.

Oh sure, you could just go to monoprice, walmart, worst buy, or many other places and have yourself a nice little antenna for 20-100 bucks. But where's the adventure in that, I ask you? There is plenty of adventure just going to wally world you say? I'll give you that. Especially if you live in FL. I remember. But that's not the kind of adventure I'm looking for. Plus, if you're really into that sort of adventure, you DO in fact get to go to walmart to purchase one of the parts if you go my route.

I decided to build my own. Under the influence of another friend at work, Adam, who has gone before me and built his own. And since he lives in my neighborhood, I'm pretty darn sure that I can count on getting the same channels and signal strength that he gets.

So I started by watching the youtube video he pointed me to here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw). Then I headed out to gather the necessary supplies (which are listed at the beginning of the video). I only needed a few things, as I had the tools and such. Adam suggested that I use "clothes line" instead of the hangers. The dude at Home Depot took me over to the "clothes line", but looked at me strange when I said I needed the wire kind. Apparently my HD only sells the rope stuff. After explaining what I wanted to do, the best he could come up with for me was a 100' roll of 12 guage wire used for hanging ceiling tiles. We'll so how it works soon I guess.

* The wire
* a 1"x3" piece of lumber cut to 2.5 feet long (I didn't want to use the cherry or mahogany I had in the garage)
* 10 1.5" wood screws and 10 washers (I was too lazy to look through the garage for some)
* That thing to connect the cable to... you know, the transformer. This I got at walmart. It was like 4.95 (Not $2 Adam)

I built this bad boy on Monday night. It took maybe 30 min of running back and forth between watching parts of the video and construction. I could knock it out in about 7 minutes if I had to make another one. Easy! The only tip I can give is for the curvy piece that connects the V's: make it a little longer than how they explain in the video. Just like an inch on each side. It will have to go under the washer and the V eventually, and mine was almost too short.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3320.jpg

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3322.jpg

IMO, the Apevia XM-500 mediaPC case is the price/performance leader, the best media PC case for under $200-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144231

Given its low base price, current rebate, and the included fans and 500W PSU, you will save a LOT going with the Apevia.

Otherwise, your parts look good.

Here are more DIY antenna links

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=15824168&postcount=86

just a note, if you figure out how to get espn360 to work in Linux at all let me know - I've never got it working in linux.

just a note, if you figure out how to get espn360 to work in Linux at all let me know - I've never got it working in linux.

Will do! I'm still a ways off from investigating that, but I REALLY hope the solution does not involve dual booting :(

Will do! I'm still a ways off from investigating that, but I REALLY hope the solution does not involve dual booting :(

I will admit I haven't tried extensively - since I do have 1 windows computer I have access too, and I only use it so often... But everything I've read indicates it just isn't supported in windows, but can be made to work in wine with firefox.

Step 2 - The PC

Yesterday I got the case and the power supply (PSU) in the mail. The case DOES look very nice. And it's a little bigger than I expected, but it should work nicely. The remote control that comes with the case was wedged in where the hard drive will go (I will use one, the case can hold two). I had to unscrew 4 screws to remove a bracket to get the remote out. Guess they just didn't want it bouncing around in the case during shipping.

There was a brown piece of paper laying in the middle of the case. No idea what it's purpose is. I'll post a picture of it and what it said tonight... very peculiar. It wasn't covering or wrapping anything, just there.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3284.jpg

So reading the manual for the case, it was pretty easy to install the PSU. It was obvious where it went. There is a little "sliding door" on the wall separating the PSU compartment from the motherboard compartment. One screw prevents it from sliding freely. You can loosen the screw, or just pull on the door really hard :rolleyes: to open it. All the cables from the PSU go through here so you can hook them up to the motherboard, fans, and other various items. One doesn't need to go through the door, because it will be needed for my blu-ray player, which will be in the same compartment. Then close the door as much as possible again. This helps the air to flow correctly through the case (according to said manual).

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3281.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3282.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3283.jpg

4 screws go through the back of the case and into the PSU to hold the PSU in place. I assume the fan goes on top, although this makes the label on the PSU upside down when looking at the case from the rear. Not sure exactly why they did this. I even looked in the manual for the PSU for the correct orientation, but it didn't mention anything. I guess they thought it was so obvious it just shouldn't need to be stated. Probably is :(

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3292.jpg

So today I got the Motherboard (Mobo) and the Hard Drive! Isn't she beautiful?

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3285.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3286.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3288.jpg
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3287.jpg

To get the mobo in, I had to remove the black piece of plastic that is attached to the inner back side of the case. (The screw that secures it can be seen in the picture below) I also put in the two brass standoffs that came with the kit into the bottom of the case. There were already 6 silver ones, but there were two holes in the mobo that lined up with empty threads, so I went ahead and added them. Probably not necessary. Then I slide the front side (of the case) in first under the wiring, then the back side down in place. Used 6 screws (as pre the manual) that came with the case to secure the mobo onto the standouts. I chose the outer 6 holes. I assume I could have used all 8, but the manual specifically said 6 so I bit.

The case doesn't come with the right I/O plate (the silver thing on the back of the case where you plug peripherals into), but the Mobo does. I had to pop the original one off. You just push it from the outside of the case into the inside. Then pop the new one in.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3290.jpg

The little metal tabs created a little problem for me though. When I put the Mobo in after having the plate on, the tabs above the HDMI, USB, and Network ports all blocked the ports.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3293.jpg

To fix this, I just cut them off with the tool at the bottom of the picture. You can see the result. It's a little sharp in some areas, so I will have to just be careful when attaching things I guess.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3294.jpg

Here you can see where the RESET SW, POWER SW, and HDD LED go

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3297.jpg

Here is the USB connector from the case plugged into the correct place on the Mobo (There are actually 3 to choose from, I used this one)

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3298.jpg

One of the cords coming from the PSU has two 4-pin connectors. Only one of them fits onto this spot on the Mobo, so I went with it.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3301.jpg

This shows the Firewire (1394) cable from the case plugged into the correct place on the Mobo

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3304.jpg

Here is the HD Audio cable attached to the Mobo. There is also an AC'97 plug attached to the same wires. The way I read the Mobo manual, it sounded like I should attach the HD Audio one instead of the AC'97. If anyone can confirm or correct this for me I would appreciate it.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3306.jpg

Page 4 of the manual for the case under the section "The Display/Volume Control and the Remote Control" points out the 24-pin power adapter that is included as part of the kit. It just attaches to the largest cable coming out of the PSU, and the other side goes into the Mobo. It essentially just adds a small plug with a purple wire that supplies power to the LCD of the case.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3307.jpg

Here is the other end that connects to the case cable. It is short and located under where the optical drive will go. (Near the PSU)

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3308.jpg

The Fusion Remote comes with an LCD with a built-in IR reciever, and a volume control to work with your media center computer. The display comes with a 4-pin internal USB adapter. It connects to one of the 3 USB connections on the motherboard as seen below. It only fits one way as one of the pins are blocked.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3312.jpg

This is how the hard drive will sit in the case. Attach one of the SATA power cables from the PSU to the drive as seen.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3315.jpg

Next I had to attach the bracket to the hard drive (using the longest screws that came with the case). The directions say to make sure the larger part of the grommet is facing the HD, and that is not the way they were installed. I had to remove the grommets and turn them around, which kind of surprised me. But it made sense as to why they need to be like that. Then just put the 4 screws back in the bracket to secure it to the case. The HD rests on two more grommets that are pre-installed on the bottom of the case.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3317.jpg

Here is the SATA cable connecting the HD to the Mobo
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm184/asorgius/IMG_3318.jpg

Hey fitty... Why does it look like you are just using this thread and your HTPC build to show off your camera and your cheap lens? I mean honestly, whats with the closeup of the firewire plug on the MB? :D

Why do you say his lens is cheap?

(I think that's his friend down the street)

It is pretty agonizing detail for a few of us tho.

PS - That brown paper is impregnated with volatile corrosion inhibitors, which vaporize over time and prevent corrosion.

(I think that's his friend down the street)

Close. A friend none the less :) And he's just jealous of my 100mm 2.8 Macro!


It is pretty agonizing detail for a few of us tho.

Yeah, I'm sure it's way overkill for most here. But most here know way more than me and anything I post would be overkill for them. My goal is to help out those that know even LESS than me build their own HTPC and join the wonderful world of MythTv. (OK, that's assuming that it's a wonderful world. I'm taking other people's word for it right no obviously, since I've never used it as of today)


PS - That brown paper is impregnated with volatile corrosion inhibitors, which vaporize over time and prevent corrosion.

Ahhh... that makes sense. So you're saying I shouldn't have given it to my two year old to make a Dr's mask out of?

Why do you say his lens is cheap?

Thanks for standing up for me k_ross. BlackCatt, he knows a real lens when he sees one :cool:

It is pretty agonizing detail for a few of us tho.
.

...for us experienced folk.

But this thread is a great place to start for mediaPC noobs, those who may never have built their own PC, regardless of OS.

I have found his pics a good review of the Antec case- I like to see the detailed innards, to evaluate its quality and whether I might want to try this case in a build.

You're doing fine, TTgator ;)...

It appears the Antec Fusion comes with fans- they were hard to see in the newegg photos.

The mechanical deisgn and aesthetic design of the Antec Fusion appear nice, but my issues with it:

- doesn't take a full ATX motherboard- the Apevia XM-500 does, important to those who want to add their own video card and several internal tuners or other cards.

- physically larger than the Apevia XM-500, even though the Antec is limited to mATX boards only.

- Doesn't come with power supply

- Considering no PSU, costly.

- There should be a version with no remote or front display for less cost

- remote doesn't work in Linux (?)

Thanks for standing up for me k_ross. BlackCatt, he knows a real lens when he sees one :cool:

Macro schmacro... They say the size of your lens is inversely proportional to the size of your... savings account... :D

Showoff... :P

It appears the Antec Fusion comes with fans- they were hard to see in the newegg photos.

The mechanical deisgn and aesthetic design of the Antec Fusion appear nice, but my issues with it:

- doesn't take a full ATX motherboard- the Apevia XM-500 does, important to those who want to add their own video card and several internal tuners or other cards.

- physically larger than the Apevia XM-500, even though the Antec is limited to mATX boards only.

- Doesn't come with power supply

- Considering no PSU, costly.

- There should be a version with no remote or front display for less cost

- remote doesn't work in Linux (?)

Yes, it comes with two 120mm fans. They are set up to blow air out of the case.

I'm not worried about the lack of lack of slots, as I won't need ANY of the slots now. I'll use the integrated video with HDMI output as well as the integrated network. And of course I went with the HDHomerun, so I have two tuners without taking up a slot :)

I'm with you on the price. And I don't know if the remote works with Linux or not. My friend that suggested the case uses Windows. I have a Logitech 890 though.

Macro schmacro... They say the size of your lens is inversely proportional to the size of your... savings account... :D

Showoff... :P

And they would be right :(

Yes, it comes with two 120mm fans. They are set up to blow air out of the case.
.

I would probably unscrew them and reverse them to blow into the case, then add one 120mm or 80mm exhast fan on the opposite side of the case.

I would probably unscrew them and reverse them to blow into the case, then add one 120mm or 80mm exhast fan on the opposite side of the case.

Then I would have to cut holes, buy more fans, etc. And I would be guessing as to if it would actually help, or if their engineers that designed the thing to be a HTPC case didn't know what they were doing. The fans have a 3-way switch. High Medium and Low. If cooling is ever a problem I can always just jack them up higher.

By having them blow out of the case, air will of course get sucked in without an additional fan. I'm not trying to disagree and say you are wrong. I'm sure you are right, that it could improve performance, I'm mostly just saying I'm way too lazy to do that right now :)

Then I would have to cut holes, buy more fans, etc. And I would be guessing as to if it would actually help, or if their engineers that designed the thing to be a HTPC case didn't know what they were doing. The fans have a 3-way switch. High Medium and Low. If cooling is ever a problem I can always just jack them up higher.

By having them blow out of the case, air will of course get sucked in without an additional fan. I'm not trying to disagree and say you are wrong. I'm sure you are right, that it could improve performance, I'm mostly just saying I'm way too lazy to do that right now :)

...cue the lewd "blow vs suck" comments...;)

But seriously, you're probably right to leave as-is- just check your cpu and gpu and hard disk temps while playing 1080p video.

If anything is on the high side, either add an internal spot fan or do other changes until the temps look good.

Whilest we're talking, the rest of my components should be arriving at my door anytime now, so tonight and tomorrow I'll be working on finishing getting this thing up and running (I hope). So doing some searching on what to actually install, I was going to go with the 64 bit version of Mythbuntu. But now I think I'm going to use the 32 bit version since it sounds like the 64 won't gain me much except for possible incompatibilities. I saw you advised someone else to go this route a while back. Still the case today?

I *DO* have an iso image burned to CD of each of them, just so I'll be ready ;)

Then I would have to cut holes, buy more fans, etc. And I would be guessing as to if it would actually help, or if their engineers that designed the thing to be a HTPC case didn't know what they were doing. The fans have a 3-way switch. High Medium and Low. If cooling is ever a problem I can always just jack them up higher.

By having them blow out of the case, air will of course get sucked in without an additional fan. I'm not trying to disagree and say you are wrong. I'm sure you are right, that it could improve performance, I'm mostly just saying I'm way too lazy to do that right now :)

Wow... That's a bold move... just outright disagreeing with Rgb in this forum. I would say he has a bit more experience at this than you do. Your post count 19, and his 5,149. If I were you I would stop being so lazy (and cheap) and do as he suggests....:o Okay... Okay... Your right, I would be trying to find the easiest and cheapest way out just like you are. :rolleyes:

Please forgive him Rgb, he knows not the powers that he messes with. All he knows is a little woodworking, a little photography, and a whole mess of being felted at the poker tables. And not even in that order. :D

I would probably unscrew them and reverse them to blow into the case, then add one 120mm or 80mm exhast fan on the opposite side of the case.

The opposite side of the case is in a separate compartment. So he would have to cut a hole through the wall inside the case to achieve what you're talking about. That would defeat the whole purpose of the case having separate thermal zones for PSU, hard drives, and motherboard (designed by Silent PC Review, see http://www.silentpcreview.com/Antec_NSK2400_Fusion). According to the article, they wanted the fans to pull cool air in over the hard drives, before the air gets heated up by the CPU and GPU.

That being said, I don't have that case. Do you have experience, or know of someone, that needed to alter the airflow design of the case?

That being said, I don't have that case. Do you have experience, or know of someone, that needed to alter the airflow design of the case?

No- I had never seen the innards of the Antec, and wasn't aware of the involvement of people who understand thermal engineering in the design of the Antec case.

I just assumed the thermal design was wrong, since nearly every case I've built with in the past 20+ years demonstrated an obvious lack of cooling engineering ;)

But it sounds like Antec did their homework on that case :D

That's more close-up pictures of motherboard cables being plugged in than I think I've ever seen. :)

Ever thought of taking up photography for a part-time job? You seem to have a knack for it.

That's more close-up pictures of motherboard cables being plugged in than I think I've ever seen. :)

Ever thought of taking up photography for a part-time job? You seem to have a knack for it.

Oh, please don't get him started... :mad:
We'll never hear the end of it...

That's more close-up pictures of motherboard cables being plugged in than I think I've ever seen. :)

Ever thought of taking up photography for a part-time job? You seem to have a knack for it.

...those are some mighty sexy caps on that motherboard :D

LOL, enjoy and such ;) (http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2371169_lhsq6/09-TheProdigy-Climbatize.mp3)

That's more close-up pictures of motherboard cables being plugged in than I think I've ever seen. :)

Ever thought of taking up photography for a part-time job? You seem to have a knack for it.

LOL... thanks Chris ;)

Step 2 - The PC (Continued)

OK, so it's built now. Yes, I did take more pictures, and I'm sure you all can't wait to see them. But I've been spending too much time trying to get things set up to post them.

The final pieces, the CPU, memory, and Blu-ray drive were the easiest parts to install. Just had to read which slots the two memory sticks were supposed to go into. Yellow was the correct answer.

So I took it upstairs to my bedroom to test it out (because I have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse up there). I plugged the power cord into the power supply and an outlet. No smoke. Sweet! I then flipped the switch on the power supply and waited for the magic to happen. Yeah! It's going to... wait... nothing is happening. No fans running. No LCD lighting up. Push button on the drive to open the tray. No sir. Panic. Dead PSU? I checked all the connections to make sure they were tight. Ahhh crap. What now? I turned it off and on a couple times, then noticed the ethernet light was on, and the green light on the corner of the motherboard. That's a good sign, right?

Hey genius, how about push the power button on the FRONT of the case. Ahhh.... blue light, LCD comes to life, fans spinning, life is good! Success!

Step 3 - Software

So of course it boots up to a "No operating system installed" type message. Opened the drive, popped in my 32 bit Mythbuntu CD, and hit enter. I was going to document all the options and things I chose, but I was too excited to get this thing running. Plus there is an installation guide in pdf form on the Mythbuntu site somewhere. It's for 8.10, but I guess nothing much has changed. I'll just mention the things I learned that I SHOULD have done before hand.

* The IP Address - When prompted for the IP address, I entered the one I had in my mind that I wanted to set it to statically. This of course was not what DHCP decided to assign. I was going to just change it later I thought. This caused problems later when it couldn't find the backend. What I SHOULD have done is look at my Router when I got to that point, use the address that was assigned, and set it to be static right then.

* Schedules Direct - The plan was to click on the link to go to Schedules Direct during install and set up my account. When I got there, I realized I didn't have a mouse, and didn't know if I could do it all with just a keyboard. (I later plugged in a mouse) Signed up on my desktop, got the account, entered the username/pwd on myth setup. Things should be fine. Wrong. Schedules Direct decided to have server problems (I later discovered) and caused errors for the filldatabase thing. I discovered that after you create your account, you can "Add a schedule" or something from your account page. It lets you pick which schedule you want to use (Antenna by zip code in my case). So I would have an account and add your schedule before hand.

Step 4 - HDHomeRun

So the instructions that come with it tell you pretty much nothing for Linux. Which they don't really need to, since all you have to do is plug it in I later discovered. They mention putting in the disk that comes with it to install it. This is for Windows, and I did install it on my Vista machine. It tried to autodect the tuners, but couldn't find it. It was kind of frustrating for a while, since I had it plugged into my network, and had one of the tuners attached to my antenna. Turns out I had to unplug it and plug it back into my switch several times. Not sure why, but it finally "took". Scanned and found some channels.

Back to Myth. During the setup, I selected each tuner, set them to use Schedules Direct, and had tuner 0 (I later set up tuner 1 after getting a splitter for the antenna) scan for channels.

Now I have an amplifier followed by a splitter so I can connect both tuners of the HDHomeRun. Oh, and btw, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the HDHomeRun comes with an ethernet cable and two coax cables.

I'm sure I'll get motivated sometime and post more pics :)

EDIT: Firmware update.
Some googling for my lockups made me realize that I needed to update the firmware. The latest version out right now is 08/30/2009. The following are the steps I took to install it:

Download the 3 necessary files from www.silicondust.com/downloads/linux (hdhomerun_atsc_firmware_20090830.bin, libhdhomerun_20090830.tgz, hdhomerun_config_gui_20090830.tgz)
From a console, type the folowing (from the directory you downloaded the files to. I created a ~/Downloads directory)
cd ~/Downloads
tar -xvf libhdhomerun_20090830.tgz
tar -xvf hdhomerun_config_gui_20090830.tgz
cd hdhomerun_config_gui
sudo apt-get install build-essential pkg-config libgtk2.0-dev
./configure
make
sudo make install

I used the command line to update the firmware with the following:
hdhomerun_config discover <--- This returns the <id> of the HDHomeRun to be used in the next command
hdhomerun_config <id> upgrade hdhomerun_atsc_firmware_20090830.bin

Or you can use the Gui version of the tool you just built with:
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib
hdhomerun_config_gui

Step 5 - Debugging

So of course things don't work perfectly. Some kinda serious things I need to figure out now. Hopefully some of you experts can give me some pointers.

First, it seems like there were several times I would exit something and I would just get the myth background. Nothing to click on, nothing seemed to be happening. I could Ctrl+Alt+Del and lock the screen, and unlock it. I finally figured out I could get to the reboot option from here and had to go that route several times. Is there something else I can do to regain control, or did it just crash?

Second, my network seems to be hosed. I started recording a show to test things out, and watching another show to test the two tuners. Then I went downstairs to watch my Gators. About 15 min later my wife complained that WiFi wasn't working for her. Went up stairs and found a blueish screen where TV used to be on my monitor. Everything seemed locked. Rebooted wireless router, it came back for about 5 min then went away again. Unplugged the HDHomeRun and rebooted router. Came back for 5 min again. Hard reset of HTPC, another router reboot, and so far everything has been fine. So I guess the HTPC was doing something bad? After restarting it, I looked at my recorded shows, and it recorded about 10 minutes of the program I told it to. Made sense as to the timeframe of things going awry. Kind of makes me nervous as to the cause of this though. Ideas?
EDIT: I found a "What to do about connection dropping" section somewhere. It mentioned to try to remove some of the switches between the HDHomeRun and the HTPC if possible. I currently have it behind my wireless router that I'm using as a switch, so that may be my problem. If it conks out again I may have to move the HDHomeRun and antenna into my garage so it will be plugged into the same physical DHCP router as the HTPC.

Third, Weather never seems to work. I set it up, and the first time it showed me the 5 day forcast. Since then, either garbled "Initializing", or blank square. At least this let me get out by pressing Esc.
EDIT: Of course weather decided to work today for the first time. Well, one of the two pages I tried to set up displayed after a while at least.

Fourth: How do you get Blu-ray working on linux???

Fifth [SOLVED]: I notice now that whenever I restart, my tuners are both unavailable. I'm pretty sure I know the problem now, and someone had a fix by creating a script in /etc/rc2.d, but his link back to the hdhomerun forum is no longer valid. The script he posted didn't work for me, so I'll try to get ahold of hdhomerun support and figure this out.
EDIT: Here's the response from the HDHomeRun forum:
You're running an old copy of MythTV; update to a newer version.

http://mythbuntu.org/auto-builds

The version shipped with mythbuntu is build 19961 from 8 months ago; the bug in question got fixed 3 months ago in 20877, you need a newer build of MythTV.

I'm thinking all three of you are the same person. :p

I'm thinking all three of you are the same person. :p

Probably just his way of boosting his post count. :D

Step 6 - XBMC

Oh the glory of XBMC. Searching for alternatives to Myth in the midst of my frustrations with the debugging step led me to the discovery of XBMC with Myth. And what a difference it makes! Aesthetically at least. So I skipped troubleshooting for now to keep me motivated in moving forward with linux.

Found a step-by-step type guide for installing XMBC on top of Myth that I used and will share with you. It is sooooo much prettier than Myth, and has a really cool feature that alone makes it worthwhile for me. When you are watching live tv and browse out to say, check the weather, or news, or anything else, the live tv comes with you in a little picture-in-picture type window. Here's how to install:

First, edit your sources.list file so atp-get can find the xbmc package:
sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

Then add the following two lines to the bottom of the file

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-svn/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/team-xbmc-svn/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main


Then run the following commands

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xbmc


It complained for me about not having some keys, but allowed me to override and procede

Then start up xbmc with
xbmc -q -fs

So next we want to hook XBMC up to our Myth backend so we can watch live tv as well as the tv we already have recorded.
Now in XBMC, go to Videos, then click on "Add new source"
myth://username:password@ipaddress

Substitute your username and password for your myth backend setup. And obviously put in your actual ipaddress, or if it's running on the same machine (like mine is), use the word localhost.

Step 7 - Windows Vista Media Center

No, no, no. I'm not switching over (yet). Just need a little integration over here.

My desktop in my bedroom is a Dell Studio 510 or something, and it has a TV Tuner card of some sort in it that I have used mostly as a gimmick. It is connected to my DirecTv HD Receiver at the moment, but DirecTv is going away tonight! *GASP* So I needed to make sure I was still in business in the bedroom. Wait... that sounded wrong.

So I busted out the software on CD that came with the HDHomeRun. Installed on Vista fine, and detected both tuners. I set them both to active (changed this later), scanned for channels, all is good. Started up Media Center, and I think it actually detected the change and prompted me to go through the TV setup again.

I learned through the HDHomeRun website that you HAVE to do the MANUAL detection during setup. Very easy, picked Antenna, Digital, etc. Then it showed all three of my tuners (The old card and the two new ones from the HDHomeRun). I unchecked the old card, checked the two new ones, and I was good to go. Everything worked fine.

EXCEPT: I tried to watch live TV while Myth was watching on Tuner 0. Myth froze and WMC took over the tuner. So I tried the other way, started playing tv on WMC first, then tried to watch tv on Myth. Myth would have none of that and just went back to the main menu immediately, just like it does when no tuners are available.

So I found out from the HDHomeRun guys that MythTv "does not make use of the dynamic tuner allocation feature and requires uninterrupted access to a tuner to record properly". So the only solution was to go back to the HDHomeRun setup application on Vista and disable Tuner 0. This way WMC will always use Tuner 1, leaving Tuner 0 available for Myth. But you can see why this might suck eventually. If I'm wanting to use both tuners for Myth downstairs (watching live while recording), upstairs will be out of luck. OK, well, downstairs will be out of luck I guess as soon as WMC steals a tuner. So I COULD buy another HDHomeRun to add two more tuners and let them each have their own set. I'm thinking that is a very rare case though since I'm usually the only one watching TV, so I'll just deal with it :)

Step 8 - Despair

Well crap. Last night I hooked everything up downstairs to the actual TV (via Receiver) I'm going to be using to test everything out. First thing was the component shelving that I built a year ago was big enough to squeeze the case into (scratching up my wall), but I quickly realized that the fan would be pressed up against the wall and allow NO cooling. I'll have to figure that out later.

So everything plugged in and turned on. Picture was good, but no sound. My plan all along was to have sound go through HDMI into my receiver just like my DirecTv HD DVR had done. Some googling turned up some steps others with my mobo have taken and reported success. So I tried the first one. It required removing all nvidia drivers and upgrading to the latest (which I later figured out I think I already had). So the short version is: this hosed up my system. I decided to do a reinstall instead of trying to fix what I broke.

After the first reinstall was successful, I started the massive synaptic update. 3/4 of the way though applying the patches, the screen went black. Not a screen saver, no pressing of any button combinations would do anything. Hard reboot and came up to a busybox prompt saying it couldn't find important things. So after an hour of the first reinstall I started the install over.

Second reinstall failed with the same black screen but earlier in the install process.

Third reinstall failed with the same black screen even earlier in the install process.

Gave up for the night. I'm assuming this is hardware related. Any ideas out there for me? I guess I'll call newegg today and see if they have any bright ideas on how to trouble shoot this :(

This sounds like the classic IGP overheat problem. If you take off the case cover and rig up a fan blowing on it, it will get you by until you can get a Thermalright HR05-IFX and Arctic Cooling PWM fan.

It will then do the most rigorous work with no problem.

That makes sense. I had it with the fans blocked for several minutes, until it started making more noise and I realized what was happening. Maybe it just didn't have time to cool off after that. Talking to my friend, he mentioned checking the temps in the BIOS (which I didn't realize you could do). So I will do that to confirm your suspicion. But I'm thinking if that IS the case, then maybe after totally cooling off things will just work normally now.

Thanks for the input! I may get one of those (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835116018) just in case!

Step 8 - Despair

So everything plugged in and turned on. Picture was good, but no sound. My plan all along was to have sound go through HDMI into my receiver just like my DirecTv HD DVR had done. Some googling turned up some steps others with my mobo have taken and reported success. So I tried the first one. It required removing all nvidia drivers and upgrading to the latest (which I later figured out I think I already had). So the short version is: this hosed up my system. I decided to do a reinstall instead of trying to fix what I broke.

.....

Hey TTGator,
The HDMI sound problem seems to be pretty common. In Jaunty, I was able to get mine up and running by simply activating the "latest" restricted NVidia driver (180.60 I think) that comes with Jaunty. Then run Alsamixer in a terminal and unmute all the IEC958 channels. Then go to the sound preferences and set your various sound outputs to HDMI. That was all that I needed to do. (well, you'll also need to configure Myth to passthrough the AC3? and DDS? as well). I get HDMI sound output for Myth but still have no sound for Flash videos in my web browser. Sorry if my description is a little fuzzy, I am not at home to check my various settings.

Once you take care of you heat problems and reinstall give that a try.

Many folks will also tell you to uninstall PulseAudio too and that may be worth doing, but I didn't need to do so for Myth HDMI sound. I am still too much of a noobie to give you good advice on that, but there are several others on the boards here that can.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Jsquid! I went home for lunch and pulled the old fan (like a REAL fan) out of the garage and pulled the cover off like quantumstate suggested and did a quick reinstall of Mythbuntu and XBMC, so that's working again at least. Now for audio. I'll google how to run Alsamixer in a terminal when I get home. I activated the NVidia driver that came with the Mythbuntu installation, which was 180 (not sure about the .60). So you're saying you didn't have to build and install the latest Alsa stuff like I've read from others?

Also, I would be curious to know more details about "configure Myth to passthrough the AC3? and DDS? as well". I don't remember seeing any config options for that. If you can offer a fellow n00b more specifics and detail when you get home I would appreciate it much!

Oh, and I guess I should ask... are you using the same motherboard as me?

Thanks!

"So you're saying you didn't have to build and install the latest Alsa stuff like I've read from others?"

That's exactly what I am saying, with Jaunty I didn't have to build and install the latest Alsa. I started with Intrepid (comes with Alsa 1.0.17) and installed Alsa 1.0.19 to get my HDMI working. Jaunty comes with Alsa 1.0.18, which was the first to support HDMI (I think). So even though it was a step back from what I was using before it seems to work just fine. The problem I had with building and installing the latest Alsa drivers is that certain software updates (I think these were kernel updates) will revert the OS to the pre-installed Alsa drivers. So that each time I updated my software it would break my sound output and I would have to rebuild and install my Alsa drivers. Now in Jaunty I can just leave it be with Alsa 1.0.18. and update as I like.

I am not using the same mother board as you, so YMMV, but it's worth a shot. I am also not using Mythbuntu - I am using regular Ubuntu, so there may be better/different ways to do all this in Mythbuntu.

To run alsamixer, open up a terminal (Applications>accessories>terminal) and type alsamixer. If that doesn't work try Alsamixer (linux is case sensitive and I don't remember if the A is capitalized, I think it's not). That should open up a graphical sound mixer display. You can navigate left and right with arrowkeys and I think return or 'm' will toggle them from muted to unmuted. If you prefer to avoid the terminal you can install a gnome-based alsamixer from Synaptic Package Manager. I think it is called "gnome alsamixer", but again I am not sure.

For the Myth set up, open the MythFrontend and then I believe you want to go to setup > general > playback. There is a page in there where you can specify which sound output options you want. When I get home and get the kids to bed, I'll take a look at my settings and post them for you - if someone else doesn't beat me to it. I am on the west coast, so that may be on the late side for you.

Also, for good HD video playback you'll probably want to set up VDPAU in Myth and disable compositing in your xorg.conf file. There's plenty of information on these boards on how to do that.

OK, I got the alsamixer running in the terminal. There were several colums that were at zero, which I assume is what you mean by muted. The 'm' key didn't do anything, so I just used the up arrow on each column to put them all at 81 (well, all the ones that were at 0). I didn't see the term IEC958 anywhere though.

I found the AC3 and DDS passthroughs you mentioned in the myth setup. They were two checkbox options. I think I set them, but my settings windows are slightly bigger than my screen, so the actual checkboxes are off the screen so I can't see if they are checked or not for sure :(

I didn't find "where you can specify which sound output options you want" though. Hopefully you will get back to me with more detail on that one tonight ;)

I'll have to search around for the VDPAU stuff. I thought I had read that wouldn't be available until myth version .22

OK, so in MythFrontend: setup>general third page in is titled "Audio"
I have
audio output device: ALSA:hdmi
Passthrough output device: default
AC3 audio upmixer (unchecked)
Enable AC3 to SPDIF passthrough (checked)
Enable DTS to SPDIF passthrough (checked)
Use internal volume control (checked)
Aggressive sound card buffering (unchecked)
Mixer Device: ALSA:default
Mixer Controls: PCM
Master Mixer Volume set at 70
PCM MIxer volume set at 70
Independent Muting of Left and Right audio channels (unchecked).

To edit sound preferences:
on the desktop go to System>Preferences>Sound

Then switch each drop menu to HDA NVidia HDMI (ALSA) except
sound capture (mine is set to HDA NVidia ALC888 analog (ALSA) and
Default Mixer Tracks set to HDA NVidia (Alsa mixer)

OK, I got the alsamixer running in the terminal. There were several colums that were at zero, which I assume is what you mean by muted. The 'm' key didn't do anything, so I just used the up arrow on each column to put them all at 81 (well, all the ones that were at 0). I didn't see the term IEC958 anywhere though.


In my alsamixer, the IEC958 options were all to the far right, off the initial screen when the mixer comes up.

If you don't have those options, I think maybe your drivers are not recognizing that you have HDMI on your board.

In a terminal, type aplay -l
that should list your audio output devices. My output lists include something like this:
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: NVIDIA HDMI [NVIDIA HDMI]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #o

If you can't find something like that, you may have to build and install a newer version of Alsa, but I would check which one you are running first. There are probably more elegant ways to do this, but I would go to synaptic package manager, type in alsa and look for any of the installed alsa programs (they would have a green box next to them), then look what version those are. My installation came with 1.0.18.

Have you installed all the Canonical updates after installing your OS? I did that first thing and it's possible that one of the updates enabled the rest of what I did to work.

Finally (for now), Mythmaster put together the following thread of useful links for VDPAU:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16199083#post16199083
You could update to the most recent NVidia 180.xx driver from that link and if you install Avenards Myth builds they will have VDPAU enabled, so no need to wait for 0.22

There is a newer NVidia driver in beta 190.xx, but I am shying away from it with my noobish level of expertise. Some here are running it and seem to be having good results.

OK, I got the alsamixer running in the terminal. There were several colums that were at zero, which I assume is what you mean by muted. The 'm' key didn't do anything, so I just used the up arrow on each column to put them all at 81 (well, all the ones that were at 0). I didn't see the term IEC958 anywhere though.

I found the AC3 and DDS passthroughs you mentioned in the myth setup. They were two checkbox options. I think I set them, but my settings windows are slightly bigger than my screen, so the actual checkboxes are off the screen so I can't see if they are checked or not for sure :(



OK, two more quick things. The m does toggle them from muted to unmuted on my alsamixer. When muted a mm is displayed at the bottom of the channel, when unmuted a 00 is displayed at the bottom of the channel. You can change the volume settings without unmuting the channel

I also had the weird screen problem you mentioned. It went away after the first time I watched liveTV or a recording - hasn't come back since. So you might give that a try - it makes it much easier to configure Myth when you can actually see all the options. :D

Hope all this gets your sound working for you. Good luck!
J

I went back into alsamixer and found what you were talking about, and 'm' worked to unmute them. I swear it didn't work yesterday :(

I reconfigured my screen size with Utilities/Setup->Setup->Screen Setup Wizards. It's pretty wacky now, and gets worse every time I try to run it, so I reset it to the original after I went in and checked the boxes I needed under general setup.

Running aplay -l lists the same output you have. But under the setup->general menu, my Output device is ALSA:defaut. When I scroll through, I don't get HDMI as an option. My options are:
ALSA:default
ALSA:spdif
ALSA:surround51
ALSA:analog
ALSA:digital
ALSA:mixed-analog
ALSA:mixed-digital
/dev/dsp
/dev/adsp
JACK:output
NULL

Any idea what needs to be done to get ALSA:hdmi to be an option?
I also seem to have slightly different options than you on that page. Instead of "AC3 audio upmixer" being a checkbox, I have "Upmix:" and it's a drop down box. And to the left of that, I also have a "Max Audio Channels:" drop down box with the options of Stereo (what it's defaulted to now), or 5.1 (which I should probably change it to)

alsa-base version 1.0.18.dfsg-1ubuntu8 is what shows up in synaptic package manager. And yes, I did run all the updates after installation.

I don't have the full Ubuntu installed, I installed Mythbuntu, so I don't have the menu System->Preferences->Sound on the desktop :(
EDIT: Scratch that. Now that I'm at work and using an Ubuntu machine I realize what I was going. Since my screen size is still stretched to big, I can't see the actual title bar and just click in the far upper left corner to get to the menu. I now see that I'm accessing the Applications menu, and I'm sure there probably is a System menu up there that isn't visible. I'll try this part again later.
EDIT to the EDIT: Scratch that. I was right, there is no sound in the desktop menus on a Mythbuntu install. Some googling however turned up this little command: gnome-sound-properties This starts up that menu from the command line :) I will be trying this tonight.

But I feel I'm making progress and getting closer...

Running aplay -l lists the same output you have. But under the setup->general menu, my Output device is ALSA:defaut. When I scroll through, I don't get HDMI as an option. My options are:
ALSA:default
ALSA:spdif
ALSA:surround51
ALSA:analog
ALSA:digital
ALSA:mixed-analog
ALSA:mixed-digital
/dev/dsp
/dev/adsp
JACK:output
NULL

Any idea what needs to be done to get ALSA:hdmi to be an option?
I also seem to have slightly different options than you on that page. Instead of "AC3 audio upmixer" being a checkbox, I have "Upmix:" and it's a drop down box. And to the left of that, I also have a "Max Audio Channels:" drop down box with the options of Stereo (what it's defaulted to now), or 5.1 (which I should probably change it to)



I am not sure how important it is to have ALSA:hdmi. I am fairly certain that I have also gotten sound through HDMI using ALSA:default. I wonder if the hdmi option is from Avenard's Myth build? I think you don't want an upmix nor do you want to set the "max audio channels" to 5.1. I think those options are for analog out. The AC3 and DTS passthrough will send the audio bitstream to your receiver for decoding.

Sounds like you are almost there. :)

SOUNDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!! GLORIOUS SOUND!!!! I'll make a proper write-up later, I just had to get that out. Ahhhh.....

Way to go! Sound is a good thing. :)

Reminds me of Ice Age 2. "Food! Glorious Food!"

Step 9 - Sound

NOTE: I will update this with more precise instructions when I have time at home, probably early next week.

I will try to compile all the steps I took to get sound working over HDMI here. It's always easy to do after you figure it out, so I'll try to save anyone doing the same build a lot of time.

First make sure you selected "NVidia Driver" during installation instead of "Open Source Driver". If you didn't, you can activate it by going to Setup->Setup->Mythbuntu->Proprietary Drivers, highlight the first NVidia driver (that says [recommended]), then select "activate", then OK or whatever it is.

Second we will open the Alsa Mixer from a terminal.

alsamixer

Now you will have an "old time GUI" that we can use to set things up the right way. Left and Right arrow keys let you select which column (or channel) you are editing. Up and Down arrow keys change the volume of the channel you are on. The 'm' key will mute or un-mute the channel. If the bottom of the channel reads 'mm', it's muted. If it reads '00' it's un-muted.

Be aware that there are several channels off the screen on the right that you can navigate to by pressing the Right arrow key. So I made sure that every channel was unmuted (00) and I increased any volume that was below 81 to 81. Some channels don't have volume to increase, just unmute those. Then press 'Esc' to exit alsamixer.

Third, we have to change our system sound preferences to use HDMI. If you installed the full Ubuntu distribution, you can simply go to System->Preferences->Sound on the desktop. But since I installed Mythbuntu, I didn't have this menu. I had to install gnome-sound-properties so I could run it from the command line. It opens the same GUI setup window either way.


sudo apt-get install gnome-control-center
gnome-sound-properties


Then switch each drop down menu (well, the first 3) to HDA NVidia HDMI (ALSA)
Don't change sound capture (mine is set to HDA NVidia ALC888 analog (ALSA)
or Default Mixer Tracks set to HDA NVidia (Alsa mixer)
Close that window

Fourth, you have to go back into the Mythfrontend setup->General. OK, third page in is titled "Audio"
I only had to change 3 things: check Enable AC3 to SPDIF passthrough and Enable DTS to SPDIF passthrough . Then I had to change the audio output device to ALSA:hdmi. This was NOT an option in the list of options, but I figured, hey, I wonder what would happen if I just typed it in? So just type in ALSA:hdmi. Sometimes it's better to be lucky. It worked!

Here are all my settings:

audio output device: ALSA:hdmi
Passthrough output device: default
Max Audio Channels: Stereo
Upmixer: default
Enable AC3 to SPDIF passthrough (checked)
Enable DTS to SPDIF passthrough (checked)
Use internal volume control (checked)
Aggressive sound card buffering (unchecked)
Mixer Device: ALSA:default
Mixer Controls: PCM
Master Mixer Volume set at 70
PCM MIxer volume set at 70
Independent Muting of Left and Right audio channels (unchecked).


Fifth, we need sound in XBMC now.
Settings->Videos->?
Select "Play sound through all speakers"
Select "Save these settings for all videos"
I now have sound in XBMC over HDMI for live TV. Except for NBC which is weird. NBC sound is fine through MythTv. I'll have to look into that further at some point.

OK, onto the next major hurdle. My HTPC is connected to a Sony Receiver via HDMI, and then the HDMI out from the receiver goes to my Samsung TV.

If my TV is on, and I power up the HTPC, life is good. However, if I don't have the TV on when I power up the HTPC, I get "weak or no signal". In addition, if I have everything running fine and then turn the TV off and back on, I also get the weak or no signal. A brief google this morning turned up talk of a CustomEDID option.

I'll look into this after the weekend more. Anyone here happen to know if this will fix my problem or how to do it?

Hi,

have you worked remonte control and LCD/VFD display ?

I have my HTPC based on Linux Mint and I use XBMC (http://petohl.yw.sk/htpclinux.htm). All works fine, but remonte control and VFD display no.

Has anybody way, how to set up remonte control and VFD display ?

Hi,

have you worked remonte control and LCD/VFD display ?

I have my HTPC based on Linux Mint and I use XBMC (http://petohl.yw.sk/htpclinux.htm). All works fine, but remonte control and VFD display no.

Has anybody way, how to set up remonte control and VFD display ?

No, sorry, I haven't gotten that far yet :)

OK, this sucks. Anyone have any EDID experience? Sounds simple from some other posts I have read. I created an edid.bin file using the Nvidia Settings -> GPU 0. I then added the

Option "CustomEDID" "DFP-0:/home/ttgator/edid.bin"

to my xorg.conf file under the Device section. No change. Arrggghhhhh.

I've had trouble with xorg.conf and my Samsung hdtv as well. I'm not sure if it is the same problem you are having, but I had to put this in my xorg.conf:

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "metamodes" "1920x1080_60 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
Option "UseEDIDdpi" "FALSE"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection

I've had trouble with xorg.conf and my Samsung hdtv as well. I'm not sure if it is the same problem you are having, but I had to put this in my xorg.conf:

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "metamodes" "1920x1080_60 +0+0; nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
Option "UseEDIDdpi" "FALSE"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection

What were your problems and what did that do for you?

FWIW:
I have a Samsung TV (A750 series) and have had no problems. I am running my HTPC HDMI into a Denon AVR and then HDMI out to the TV.
Have you tried plugging the HTPC directly into the TV to be sure it's not the receiver causing a problem? I know that typically they just pass the HDMI signal right on to the TV, but it might be worth a try.

OK, anyone have a cheap copy of Vista for sale? :D

If you're gonna leave linux, go for windows 7 :)

I've got an Samsung A450, and no such problems... I have seen problems like this with receivers/HDMI switches in the middle of connections, for both STB and HTPCs. It is usually and HDCP handshake problem (HDCP which shouldn't come into play for a linux HTPC - but switches/receivers sometimes get confused). I'd see if the direct connection works fine too...

I could check, but it doesn't really matter as I have to connect through the receiver. It's in a closet under my stairs and has all my other components connected to it. It has one HDMI out that has a 40 foot or so cable running through the walls to my tv in the living room... so a direct connection during actual use is not an option. Know of a cheap place to get Windows 7? I've never bought Windows by itself (always came with a PC) and never realized how expensive it is. :o

Bummer man, you made it so far.

I would still recommend checking the direct connection as a diagnostic, if you still have the problem then you could continue along the EDID lines (such as what nomisunrider suggested above, although I would take out the twinview bit unless you are using both a monitor and TV)

Newegg seems to have pretty good prices on Windows 7. Best of luck whatever direction you decide to go.

I could check, but it doesn't really matter as I have to connect through the receiver. It's in a closet under my stairs and has all my other components connected to it. It has one HDMI out that has a 40 foot or so cable running through the walls to my tv in the living room... so a direct connection during actual use is not an option. Know of a cheap place to get Windows 7? I've never bought Windows by itself (always came with a PC) and never realized how expensive it is. :o

Depending on what the problem is, installing windows isn't necessarily a fix. I've seen this happen with windows, Linux, and as I mentioned above, STB (cable and satellite set top boxes).

So it is still worth testing without. If the problem goes away with the direct connection then installing windows may not be the fix.

Just a thought, other more knowledgeable persons please correct me. If you do the direct connection, try using the DVI and VGA ports also and see if you get better results.

Depending on what the problem is, installing windows isn't necessarily a fix. I've seen this happen with windows, Linux, and as I mentioned above, STB (cable and satellite set top boxes).

So it is still worth testing without. If the problem goes away with the direct connection then installing windows may not be the fix.

Well, I did the direct connect and I can indeed turn the TV off and on and still retain my connection.

The problem is Big Media insisted on removing a function of HDCP called Relay, from receivers. The handshake is not being relayed through the receiver. There are a few older receivers which will relay, but I don't know what they are.

Welcome to the New World Order. Bow down to your benevolent Masters, or set xorg.conf to display properly without EDID.

So I've actually been emailing JY Avenard about this issue. He had me connect the HTPC directly to the TV and capture the EDID. Then move the edid.bin file to /etc/X11.

Then he told me to edit the Device section my xorg.conf file like so:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "UseEvents" "1"
Option "DPI" "100x100"
Option "NoLogo" "1"
Option "CustomEDID" "DFP-0:/etc/X11/edid.bin"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP-0"
EndSection

I actually sent him my existing xorg.conf file, and the two bold lines were added. Nothing else was changed.

So after rebooting once to try this out, and connecting the HTPC back to the receiver, it looked promising. When I had the TV connected directly, I got two thin white overscan lines on the left and right sides. When I plugged it back into the receiver after these changes, I got those same overscan lines. Seemed like the custom EDID was being used. But it didn't fix the problem of turning the TV off and on... same loss of signal :(

JY told me to check /var/log/Xorg.0.log to see if the EDID is being used. I'll look into that tonight. His other suggestion was to buy a new TV :mad:

Oh, and since I had been screwing around with my xorg.conf file several times and it had gotten much larger than the fresh install, I just went ahead and reinstalled everything yesterday to get back to a baseline. Well, now of course I can't get audio working again. SUUCCKKKKKKKKKKKK

Important to have expectations straight: Linux is not for shoe salesmen.

It's for those with an IQ north of 130. Ya either got it; or work for it; or you don't use it.

So are you saying my IQ is south of 130, or that I'm not working for it? Because I would argue neither of those is the case.

Not only did he say it... he put it in print... :D

Important to have expectations straight: Linux is not for shoe salesmen.

It's for those with an IQ north of 130. Ya either got it; or work for it; or you don't use it.

wow! :eek:

Don't let it bother you - I think Quantumstate is just trying to goad you into not giving up . . . . and also pointing out that setting up this stuff is just not that simple. Especially since there are aspects that we can't control, thanks benevolent Masters!

Along those lines:
wouldn't replacing the receiver make more sense than replacing the TV? I am curious (for my own understanding) why Avenard would suggest replacing the TV when everything seems to be working during the direct connection. Seems like the component in the middle is the problem.

...
Along those lines:
wouldn't replacing the receiver make more sense than replacing the TV? I am curious (for my own understanding) why Avenard would suggest replacing the TV when everything seems to be working during the direct connection. Seems like the component in the middle is the problem.

I agree... Although I'm sure you wouldn't want to replace either since they are not inexpensive.

Before doing that, I would try:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1096050

And before that, I would play around with xorg as much as possible to see if something there can get it working with your current equipment, but I'm skeptical...

Not only did he say it... he put it in print... :D

Why did I know that you would be the first one to comment all too excitedly about that :rolleyes:

Correct me if I am wrong, but if you go from HTPC to tv it works but putting a reciever in the middle causes video issues?

Is it possible to plug the HTPC to the tv and have a optical sound going into one of your inputs into your reciever?

I could never correct my overscan on mine and this was a solution I used to get around it. Only pain is that you have to change the source on your tv and your receiver.

Why did I know that you would be the first one to comment all too excitedly about that :rolleyes:

I just want you to know that I am there for you...:)

Whoa! I had missed a handful of messages and look what happened. :eek:

If the receiver didn't implement the 'relay' feature, then I would think that it wouldn't matter if you got a new tv - the signal still wouldn't get from the htpc through the receiver to the tv.

How to setup remonte control:

Use CVS version of Lirc:

sudo mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb
sudo cat /proc/bus/usb/devices
sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/usbhid.conf
type into file:
options usbhid quirks=0x15c2:0x0036:0x0004

sudo depmod -ae
sudo update-initramfs -u

Restart PC.

sudo apt-get install cvs build-essential automake dialog cvs libtool automake1.9 autoconf cvs build-essential automake bzr
sudo cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@lirc.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/lirc login
press Enter to password prompt
sudo cvs -z8 -d:pserver:anonymous@lirc.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/lirc co lirc

cd lirc
sudo ./autogen.sh
sudo ./setup.sh
select Driver Configuration > USB Devices > Soundgraph iMON PAD IR/VFD
then select zvoliť Save configuration & run configure

sudo make
sudo make install
sudo cp /lib/modules/`uname -r`/misc/lirc_dev.ko /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/ubuntu/lirc/lirc_dev/.
sudo cp /lib/modules/`uname -r`/misc/lirc_imon.ko /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/ubuntu/lirc/lirc_imon/.


sudo gedit /etc/modules
type into file:
lirc_dev
lirc_imon

Restart PC.



How to setup VFD:
First set remonte control !

sudo apt-get install lcdproc

sudo gedit /etc/LCDd.conf
in section [server] change row Driver=xxxx to:
Driver=imon

in same file change values to:
SeerverScreen=no
Foreground=no
Goodbye=""
Goodbye=""

Check section [imon] if contains :
Size=16x2

Now restart PC, and display must be automaticaly run.

For control check /dev, here must exists this files /dev/lcd0 a /dev/lirc0.

In XBMC - Settings - System - LCD set LCDproc.

enjoy

I tried Myth and couldn't get it to work, guess I just don't have the stuff. Windows 7 basically worked out of the box w/o a bunch of manual configurations/terminal commands. Myth is an excellent concept but it's not quite ready for the mainstream just yet. That all being said I do prefer Ubuntu on my desktop.

I tried Myth and couldn't get it to work, guess I just don't have the stuff. Windows 7 basically worked out of the box w/o a bunch of manual configurations/terminal commands. Myth is an excellent concept but it's not quite ready for the mainstream just yet. That all being said I do prefer Ubuntu on my desktop.
This makes absolutely no sense. How the hell did you get Ubuntu working? I'm sick of all this Windows BS. I had to use and maintain that crap at work. Most of the people there couldn't load and get Windows working either. I tested a non comnputer user with installing windows and a linux distro a few years back. They got the Linux distro working, along with all the software that comes with it. They could not get Windows installed and working. You want to use windows, great, it's your money, and your data (until someone hacks your machine and steals it), but your comments are are just plain stupid. I first switched to Linux (from OS/2) back in 2000. I got it installed easily, and until I got it installed, I had never seen it. And I mean that literally. I had never seen the OS until I installed it on a spare machine. I replaced OS/2 with it on my main machine within a week and never looked back. And when I found MythTV in 2005, I got rid of my TIVO and all the other recorders I had. Not ready my butt. It's one of the best, if not the best, recording software around. Sure beats the crap out of Tivo. Since you like Ubuntu, maybe you should try loading Mythbuntu. After all, it's just Unbuntu with the install of MythTV already setup for those that don't know how to load a program.

I first switched to Linux (from OS/2) back in 2000. I got it installed easily, and until I got it installed, I had never seen it. And I mean that literally. I had never seen the OS until I installed it on a spare machine. I replaced OS/2 with it on my main machine within a week and never looked back.

I completely agree with you, but you might have thought differently if you had started out with Slackware in 1995, like I did. ;)
At that point X was mainly just for running multiple terminals next to each other on the screen... :D

This makes absolutely no sense. How the hell did you get Ubuntu working? I'm sick of all this Windows BS. I had to use and maintain that crap at work. Most of the people there couldn't load and get Windows working either. I tested a non comnputer user with installing windows and a linux distro a few years back. They got the Linux distro working, along with all the software that comes with it. They could not get Windows installed and working. You want to use windows, great, it's your money, and your data (until someone hacks your machine and steals it), but your comments are are just plain stupid. I first switched to Linux (from OS/2) back in 2000. I got it installed easily, and until I got it installed, I had never seen it. And I mean that literally. I had never seen the OS until I installed it on a spare machine. I replaced OS/2 with it on my main machine within a week and never looked back. And when I found MythTV in 2005, I got rid of my TIVO and all the other recorders I had. Not ready my butt. It's one of the best, if not the best, recording software around. Sure beats the crap out of Tivo. Since you like Ubuntu, maybe you should try loading Mythbuntu. After all, it's just Unbuntu with the install of MythTV already setup for those that don't know how to load a program.

That makes absolute sense. Sure Ubuntu is easy to install and use, especially if you are doing common things with supported hardware. He's talking about Myth. Myth is definitely NOT ready for mainstream users until things just work. That does not mean "if you compile the latest drivers for this this and this, install them by hand, edit all the configuration files, and do a couple other things that we're not really sure how to do, then it SHOULD work". I spent over a week trying to get Myth working how I wanted it. Sure, it wasn't hard at all to install Mythbuntu. If you have a VGA monitor (or possibly even a DVI) attached with supported TV cards you probably won't have much difficulty.

But heaven forbid you want to actually use HDMI out to a receiver, then from the receiver to your TV! Sound might be nice in that configuration. Or if you want to turn said TV off and still have Myth running. Or watch a Blu-ray disk. Or watch espn360.com. That's crazy talk right?

After spending 1 week trying learn how to do this stuff, and finding out that even though a portion of the things I wanted to do could be achieved with a large amount of customization and configuration, most of it just isn't supported. So for the heck of it I popped in an XP disk I had laying around and did a little google search for a good alternative in the Windows world. Enter MediaPortal.

About 6 hours later I had it installed, configured, and added some plugins. I had a blu-ray player that *gasp* actually PLAYED a blu-ray disk. What a concept. I can now watch espn360.com. The only decent way to actually use Myth IMHO in the first place is with XBMC over it to cover up it's total disgrace of a UI. I now have the same thing in MediaPortal. Oh, and audio works over HDMI out of the box. Oh, and I can turn my TV off. Oh, and the software for the LCD on my case works now.

So what I've learned from this build:

As quantumstate so eloquently stated: Important to have expectations straight: Linux is not for shoe salesmen. It's for those with an IQ north of 130. Ya either got it; or work for it; or you don't use it.

I can translate this for you though: Myth is not for you if you want it to just work (Exception: unless you have absolutely zero non-standard things you want to accomplish). It's for (1)pompous ass-hats or (2)those with no family or friends and have all the time it the world to get it working.

If you want an HTPC that will work, use Windows. Linux is a great OS, don't get me wrong. Just not for an HTPC (unless condition 1 or 2 apply)

Wow. I'm glad that I didn't follow this thread since I'm a pompous ass-hat that doesn't have any friends or family.

TTGator please read the forum rules, arguments about which OS is better are strictly banned by the mods, as they end up in endless flamewars:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=837132

This is the Linux forum, if you need help with Linux then you are welcome, but if you switch to Windows then there is a more appropiate forum for you, no need for you to start OS flamewars here. Each to their own.

Quantumstate is right though! :D

We're all glad you finally see the truth mythmaster! :D

Whell; I guess we've all been duly castigated for being smart.

TTGator please read the forum rules, arguments about which OS is better are strictly banned by the mods, as they end up in endless flamewars:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=837132

This is the Linux forum, if you need help with Linux then you are welcome, but if you switch to Windows then there is a more appropiate forum for you, no need for you to start OS flamewars here. Each to their own.

Quantumstate is right though! :D

I am not arguing about which OS is better. They are both good and have their purpose. I was merely stating my opinion on which HTPC software was better based on my hands on experience.

I plan to dual boot and keep up with the development of Myth and XBMC on Linux. If the functionality catches up, I'll be more than happy to switch over!

I didn't mean to call names, that was quantumstate inferred. But I probably should have just left that out.

We're all glad you finally see the truth mythmaster! :D

Whell; I guess we've all been duly castigated for being smart.

If doing 10 times the work for half the functionality is smart, then yes, you got me. I'm an idiot. :rolleyes: Or maybe....

Freedom, isn't free.

(I've been waiting to turn that one around...)

We're all glad you finally see the truth mythmaster! :D

Whell; I guess we've all been duly castigated for being smart.

lol :D

[QUOTE]That makes absolute sense. Sure Ubuntu is easy to install and use, especially if you are doing common things with supported hardware. He's talking about Myth.

Yep. I've been running it since 2005, so I know what he's talking about.

Myth is definitely NOT ready for mainstream users until things just work. That does not mean "if you compile the latest drivers for this this and this, install them by hand, edit all the configuration files, and do a couple other things that we're not really sure how to do, then it SHOULD work". I spent over a week trying to get Myth working how I wanted it. Sure, it wasn't hard at all to install Mythbuntu. If you have a VGA monitor (or possibly even a DVI) attached with supported TV cards you probably won't have much difficulty.

Well, if you buy compatible HW, things do just work. And there's no need to compile anything. I've installed Mythbuntu, Mythdora, and Knoppmyth at least 20-40 times and MythTV runs every time. No compiling, etc. But don't for a second think people running other OS's like Windows don't run into problems too. It happens a lot with new hardware. Do a search for the new Avermedia Averhdtv duet and see the problems.

But heaven forbid you want to actually use HDMI out to a receiver, then from the receiver to your TV! Sound might be nice in that configuration. Or if you want to turn said TV off and still have Myth running. Or watch a Blu-ray disk. Or watch espn360.com. That's crazy talk right?

Yes, it is crazy talk. HDMI and sound is a hardware issue you'll have with any PC. Buy hardware that has sound out the hdmi port and it shouldn't be a problem. Personally, I use VGA and separate sound output for all my TV's. Although I have used DVI and S-video without a problem. As for Blu-Ray, I couldn't care less. It's Sony, and I'll never own one. espn360.com? What's that got to do with MythTV?


About 6 hours later I had it installed, configured, and added some plugins.

What happened to that "it just works" comcept? 6 hours doesn't sound like it just works to me. I've built a MthTV system from parts in less time than that.

I had a blu-ray player that *gasp* actually PLAYED a blu-ray disk. What a concept. I can now watch espn360.com. The only decent way to actually use Myth IMHO in the first place is with XBMC over it to cover up it's total disgrace of a UI. I now have the same thing in MediaPortal. Oh, and audio works over HDMI out of the box. Oh, and I can turn my TV off. Oh, and the software for the LCD on my case works now.

Sounds to me like you should just stay with XP then.

As quantumstate so eloquently stated: Important to have expectations straight: Linux is not for shoe salesmen. It's for those with an IQ north of 130. Ya either got it; or work for it; or you don't use it.

I disagree. For normal use for the average user, it's just as easy, if not easier to use as any other OS. Normal users don't try and run a PC DVR. They browse the web and send email. That's about the extent of it. And many of them can't even do that no matter what OS they use.

I can translate this for you though: Myth is not for you if you want it to just work (Exception: unless you have absolutely zero non-standard things you want to accomplish). It's for (1)pompous ass-hats or (2)those with no family or friends and have all the time it the world to get it working.

Actually, it's for anyone that has the intelligence to use it or anyone that isn't too damn arrogant to listen to people that do use it.

If you want an HTPC that will work, use Windows. Linux is a great OS, don't get me wrong. Just not for an HTPC (unless condition 1 or 2 apply)


I assume you meant Windows MCE since afaik Windows doesn't come with built in DVR software. So I have 3 HDTV's. One runs all my servers including mythbackend, http, ftp, etc. and the others just have a frontend box on it, one without a hard drive even. So how would I setup windows boxes that I can watch all my recordings on the main server the same as if I were sitting at the main server? AFAIK, you can't. Oh, and I want all that at no software cost. The more you post the more you just sound like a wintroll. Please go away

If you want to use your Blu Ray player to play movies, you probably made the right choice going to Windows for the time being.

Yep. I've been running it since 2005, so I know what he's talking about.

Congratulations?



Well, if you buy compatible HW, things do just work.

I did buy all compatible HW for the HTPC if you read any of the beginning of this thread. I already owned the Receiver and TV.



Yes, it is crazy talk. HDMI and sound is a hardware issue you'll have with any PC.

Didn't with MediaPortal


Buy hardware that has sound out the hdmi port and it shouldn't be a problem. Personally, I use VGA and separate sound output for all my TV's. Although I have used DVI and S-video without a problem. As for Blu-Ray, I couldn't care less. It's Sony, and I'll never own one. espn360.com? What's that got to do with MythTV?

I have hardware that supports sound through the HDMI port. I don't think you've read any of this, you seem to think I'm attacking Linux and Myth for no reason and are rising to defend it.

Of course you couldn't care less. That's why you like Myth, because you don't care about all the things I want to (and now can) do.



What happened to that "it just works" comcept? 6 hours doesn't sound like it just works to me. I've built a MthTV system from parts in less time than that.


6 hours started from googling to working. I went from never having heard of MediaPortal to installing XP, MP, plugins and config in 6 hours. So like I said, it just worked. I could install and configure Myth in about 45 minutes now after having done it and get the basics to work, but I want more than the basics (my point you seem to be missing).




I disagree. For normal use for the average user, it's just as easy, if not easier to use as any other OS. Normal users don't try and run a PC DVR. They browse the web and send email. That's about the extent of it. And many of them can't even do that no matter what OS they use.

Seriously? I'M NOT SAYING LINUX IS HARDER TO USE OR WORSE THAN WINDOWS... <knock on glass>



Actually, it's for anyone that has the intelligence to use it or anyone that isn't too damn arrogant to listen to people that do use it.

I've been listening to those that were trying to help me solve my issues. They helped with several (Thanks JSquid!). Others couldn't be resolved, any many are flat out unsupported by the Myth/Linux combo. This whole intelligence thing is laughable to me. If you are going to try and say that I'm not intelligent enough to make it work, then tell me how to play a blu-ray disk on Linux using MythTv right now. If you can't, then I'd like you hear your argument. Cause it sounds like I can do everything you can do with Myth. Sounds like you just have lower standards .



So I have 3 HDTV's. One runs all my servers including mythbackend, http, ftp, etc. and the others just have a frontend box on it, one without a hard drive even. So how would I setup windows boxes that I can watch all my recordings on the main server the same as if I were sitting at the main server? AFAIK, you can't. Oh, and I want all that at no software cost. The more you post the more you just sound like a wintroll. Please go away

MediaPortal has the same server/frontend concept. You can do the same thing with it. It's free, just like Myth. XP is practically free these days. In my case it was because I had an extra license that was unused.

Any other questions? I'm not trying to steal your toy. Just saying what did and didn't work for me. If it somehow threatens you, feel free to not respond.

You're welcome. Glad to hear that you found something that worked for you.
It's too bad that some tensions arose here. Guess a nerve got touched.

Apparently

The more you post the more you just sound like a wintroll. Please go away

That's completely uncalled for! First, because this is TTGator's thread, not yours. Second, because he's not bashing Linux.

I have followed this thread from the beginning. TTGator set out to build a HTPC using Linux, which is exactly what I want to do. I believe that he really gave it a good effort and really wanted it to work. Despite help from several AVSers, he was disappointed and gave MediaPortal a try (under Windows) and got what he wanted without too much trouble. His experience gives me pause, as I don't want to spend tons of time configuring (and my IQ is just slightly above 130, I run a Linux server, and I worked in IT for 25 years).

I found this thread really useful and it's unfortunate that people have to be rude just because someone is having difficulty with Linux. If you can't help, wnewell, then I think you are the one who should "go away."

Name-calling and attitudes aside, if you are considering a Linux HTPC build, please be aware of the following KNOWN ISSUES:

(1) Direct playback of Blu-Ray and some HD-DVD discs is currently not possible. You have to rip them first, and Windows software is still required (but runs in Wine or a VM).

(2) 7.1 LPCM audio over HDMI is currently not possible.

(3) Some video sites require Windows software and will not work in Linux.

(4) Some TV's will have overscan issues and won't work properly without some serious xorg.conf tweaking. Some won't work at all.

Name-calling and attitudes aside, if you are considering a Linux HTPC build, please be aware of the following KNOWN ISSUES:

(1) Direct playback of Blu-Ray and some HD-DVD discs is currently not possible. You have to rip them first, and Windows software is still required (but runs in Wine or a VM).

(2) 7.1 LPCM audio over HDMI is currently not possible.

(3) Some video sites require Windows software and will not work in Linux.

(4) Some TV's will have overscan issues and won't work properly without some serious xorg.conf tweaking. Some won't work at all.

A list such as this would make a worthy sticky for the forum.

Mike, as I've said in other ways, you have to understand that we all have worked very hard for what we have. This is a rigorous avocation, and requires discipline and knowledge as does any pursuit that's worthwhile. If you succeed you will be more self-confident and able to solve other problems. You will be operating with a more powerful engine.

As a result it is difficult for us to hand-hold and spoon-feed. None of us had the kind of help you find here, and we are all volunteers. So sometimes we just have to say 'Get your sh*t together and look around just a little bit'.

And yes, it is about intelligence, either inherent, or that you work very hard for. Everybody thinks they're highly intelligent, but here's where the rubber meets the road. You can crap out... or take the mid road and use Mythbuntu or some other canned solution, or you can choose a worthy distro and roll your own with all the specifics and options you want. Yes, it takes time. Do ppl think they can just take a pill?

Gator's problems were specific to his equipment. So what if Winduhs could do it inherently; that's not the yardstick we measure by, and he is intruding in our turf with such revelations. If you can't or won't work on a higher plane, then do us a favor and go away. We are an exclusive club, not a remedial school.

Mike, as I've said in other ways, you have to understand that we all have worked very hard for what we have. This is a rigorous avocation, and requires discipline and knowledge as does any pursuit that's worthwhile. If you succeed you will be more self-confident and able to solve other problems. You will be operating with a more powerful engine.

Like I have said in other ways, if you think I should just work very hard for a fraction of the functionality that I want, then that's your opinion. I don't care how powerful the engine is if it can't drive me where I need to go. As I challenged wnewell, show me how to play a blu-ray disk after inserting it into the drive when my friends come over. Show me how to watch espn360.com on linux. If you can't, then your more powerful engine fails my requirements.


As a result it is difficult for us to hand-hold and spoon-feed. None of us had the kind of help you find here, and we are all volunteers. So sometimes we just have to say 'Get your sh*t together and look around just a little bit'. And yes, it is about intelligence, either inherent, or that you work very hard for.

Again, I'm looking Mr. Intelligent. Are you not intelligent enough to get my above items working? If so, speak up. Don't keep avoiding the issue. Or else 'Get your sh*t together and figure it out for the community'... they are waiting. The morons that you make fun of that use Windows figured it out.


Gator's problems were specific to his equipment. So what if Winduhs could do it inherently; that's not the yardstick we measure by, and he is intruding in our turf with such revelations. If you can't or won't work on a higher plane, then do us a favor and go away. We are an exclusive club, not a remedial school.

Wrong again. One of my problems was specific to my equipment. My definition of exclusive club is inherently pompous ass-hat. You have no turf. You installed Myth and got the same functionality everyone else, including myself, got working. Want a cookie? Maybe the club can have snack time. You just can't seem to comprehend the basic concepts in this thread. Please stop wasting everyone's time. At least when I fail (or the software fails) at something I know when it's time to move on.

A list such as this would make a worthy sticky for the forum.

Exactly. It's KNOWN now, after asking and searching all over the planet. Or to anyone that reads this thread :)

Like I have said in other ways, if you think I should just work very hard for a fraction of the functionality that I want, then that's your opinion.
...
I don't care how powerful the engine is if it can't drive me where I need to go.
You are just not understanding what I am saying. (the engine is your brain, for example)

You have found your solution. And yet you can't just be happy with it?


Again, I'm looking Mr. Intelligent. Are you not intelligent enough to get my above items working? If so, speak up. Don't keep avoiding the issue. Or else 'Get your sh*t together and figure it out for the community... they are waiting.
...
My definition of exclusive club is inherently pompous ass-hat. You have no turf. You installed Myth and got the same functionality everyone else, including myself, got working. Want a cookie? Maybe the club can have snack time. You just can't seem to comprehend the basic concepts in this thread. Please stop wasting everyone's time.
Pffff....
This is just anger now.

Want me to really make you angry? Is this the game we're playing?

That's completely uncalled for! First, because this is TTGator's thread, not yours. Second, because he's not bashing Linux.

I have followed this thread from the beginning. TTGator set out to build a HTPC using Linux, which is exactly what I want to do. I believe that he really gave it a good effort and really wanted it to work. Despite help from several AVSers, he was disappointed and gave MediaPortal a try (under Windows) and got what he wanted without too much trouble. His experience gives me pause, as I don't want to spend tons of time configuring (and my IQ is just slightly above 130, I run a Linux server, and I worked in IT for 25 years).

I found this thread really useful and it's unfortunate that people have to be rude just because someone is having difficulty with Linux. If you can't help, wnewell, then I think you are the one who should "go away."

Thanks Mike. I think what you summed up is crystal clear to anyone that reads this thread. Except for a couple of gangstas that feel their "turf" is being threatened somehow by me discovering that there are some things that aren't supported (yet). :eyeroll:

Pffff....
This is just anger now.

Want me to really make you angry? Is this the game we're playing?

LMAOOOO... your ENTIRE argument is superior intelligence, and yet you have NOTHING, NADA, ZERO to back it up with when I ask you to. You started this all, and yet I'M the one that's angry? Ha!!!!!! Nice try :)

EDIT: OK, I have to be finished with you now. You've drawn me far enough down to your level. And my side is killing me from laughing too hard :)

So now you're pretending to be happy.

Because your attitude is now adversarial, which is anathema to any sort of progress or scientific pursuit. You choose to self-limit, which is actually to the betterment of mankind.

Well we all make our choices. And mine is to not bicker with hillbillies.

Name-calling and attitudes aside, if you are considering a Linux HTPC build, please be aware of the following KNOWN ISSUES:

(1) Direct playback of Blu-Ray and some HD-DVD discs is currently not possible. You have to rip them first, and Windows software is still required (but runs in Wine or a VM).

(2) 7.1 LPCM audio over HDMI is currently not possible.

(3) Some video sites require Windows software and will not work in Linux.

(4) Some TV's will have overscan issues and won't work properly without some serious xorg.conf tweaking. Some won't work at all.

I too think that this is very valuable information to anyone looking to build a Linux HTPC. I knew about #1, but was sad to hear about #2. How well does AC3 over HDMI work? Since I'll be using my ION box only for MythTV right now, AC3 over HDMI is all I would care about. As for #3, any video site that doesn't work in Linux is not worth going to, however that is strictly my opinion. Haven't run into #4 yet luckily. It sounds like TTGator ran into a #5 problem: EDID/Receiver/TV issues. I'll be buying a new HDMI receiver this year for xmas, so I may end up running into this issue as well. Any recommendations on avoiding this?

I too think that this is very valuable information to anyone looking to build a Linux HTPC. I knew about #1, but was sad to hear about #2. How well does AC3 over HDMI work? Since I'll be using my ION box only for MythTV right now, AC3 over HDMI is all I would care about. As for #3, any video site that doesn't work in Linux is not worth going to, however that is strictly my opinion. Haven't run into #4 yet luckily. It sounds like TTGator ran into a #5 problem: EDID/Receiver/TV issues. I'll be buying a new HDMI receiver this year for xmas, so I may end up running into this issue as well. Any recommendations on avoiding this?

Just so you know, #5 isn't limited to Linux, or even HTPCs. I've seen this with windows (yes, I run windows on a couple of machines - don't shoot me), cable and satellite boxes. There are a lot of variables with this problem. I'd look for the receiver you want, and then ask around or search around for HDMI relay issues before purchasing.

I too think that this is very valuable information to anyone looking to build a Linux HTPC. I knew about #1, but was sad to hear about #2. How well does AC3 over HDMI work? Since I'll be using my ION box only for MythTV right now, AC3 over HDMI is all I would care about. As for #3, any video site that doesn't work in Linux is not worth going to, however that is strictly my opinion. Haven't run into #4 yet luckily. It sounds like TTGator ran into a #5 problem: EDID/Receiver/TV issues. I'll be buying a new HDMI receiver this year for xmas, so I may end up running into this issue as well. Any recommendations on avoiding this?

I never ran across a "Supported Receiver and TV" kind of list. So I would do some research and narrow it down to a couple receivers that you want and ask around if anyone happens to have them and can confirm they will work. Maybe someone else knows of such a list that is being compiled?

Or maybe you should 'get your sh*t together' and spend months digging into the drivers yourself :) I'd go with option 1 though!

I too think that this is very valuable information to anyone looking to build a Linux HTPC. I knew about #1, but was sad to hear about #2. How well does AC3 over HDMI work? Since I'll be using my ION box only for MythTV right now, AC3 over HDMI is all I would care about. As for #3, any video site that doesn't work in Linux is not worth going to, however that is strictly my opinion. Haven't run into #4 yet luckily. It sounds like TTGator ran into a #5 problem: EDID/Receiver/TV issues. I'll be buying a new HDMI receiver this year for xmas, so I may end up running into this issue as well. Any recommendations on avoiding this?

The main thing to do is research, research, research. Google the model number "+linux". Chances are someone else has already tried it and have shared their results. XBMC, MythTV, and Nvidia all have excellent community support. Search through their forums and mailing lists. Ask for recommendations and get second and third opinions. Contact the manufacturer and ask about linux support.

Doing all of this BEFORE you buy anything will save you tons of headaches and hours of frustration.

Ok, I am selling this setup, so if anyone is interested I'm asking $350. I think the parts included are well explained :). HDHomerun sold separately.